Nikhil Goyal
Democratic Candidate for Vermont Senate in the Chittenden Central District
What do you believe is the role of state government, if any, in ensuring that everyone living in Vermont has the food they need to thrive?
Nobody should go hungry in the richest country in the history of the world. Our state government should tackle food insecurity by supporting people thrown off of their SNAP benefits by the Trump administration, establishing community kitchens, supporting and strengthening cooperatives and farmers markets and CSAs, and exploring the possibility of publicly-owned grocery stores.
What would be your policy priorities to move Vermont toward food security for all?
My focus will be protecting universal, free school meals and supporting efforts to reduce food insecurity for children, families, and older Vermonters.
What do you believe are the root causes of hunger, and what should the state do to address those underlying factors?
Hunger is inextricably linked with poverty, economic insecurity, housing instability, a lack of decent, affordable health care. All of these issues must be addressed in tandem. That’s why I’m running to deliver universal primary care, affordable housing, living wage, union jobs, and other programs that will make life affordable for working people.
How would you help strengthen the state’s agriculture and food economy to ensure Vermont farms can continue to grow the food we all need?
I look forward to listening to and working with farmers around Vermont on advancing an agenda to improve our agriculture and food economy.